One Time Thing
by unrequitedlover227
Summary: Teri can only fight it for so long... But she's in love with Lena, not Sherri, Right?
1. Chapter 1

Teri lifted her eyes from the book in front of her, glancing around the room over the top of her glasses, searching for the source of the buzzing sound. _My phone?_ Hearing the buzz a second time, she put the book down and crossed the room to go find it.

 **-What are you wearing tonight?!**

The smile tugging at her lips was nothing new to her. Text messages (or calls, mentions, or, well really anything) from Sherry always seemed to brighten any moment, filling her belly with what most people would refer to as butterflies, but she prefers to dismiss the feeling as temporary breaths of fresh air. Glancing to the top of the screen, her smile quickly faded as she realized what time it was.

3:15PM. Less than an hour before she had to meet Sherri at the studio to head over to Peter's for a cast dinner. Terri caught a glimpse of her messy bun, yesterday's makeup, and her comfy sweats in the mirror. If she wanted to be on time, she had better get ready soon. But first she had to think of something witty to text back…

 ** _-Something special just for you ;)_**

She put the phone down and went upstairs to take a quick shower. After a few minutes, Teri returned downstairs feeling much better, towel wrapped around her body and wet blonde hair dripping down her back. Picking up the phone, she checked her messages.

 **-So, nothing? ;)**

 **-But seriously, Jeans? Or the red dress with the slit? HELP!**

Teri took the phone into her bedroom, stepping into her walk in closet and looking around for her favourite black tank, the one with the wide shoulders and the low cut front. After locating the top, her low hanging jeans, and black strappy sandles, she placed the outfit on the bed and dropped her towel. Before picking up the shirt, she flipped her phone around and took a shot of her bare shoulder and half her sneaky grin – going almost low enough to see something good. She added the caption, "If nothing is what you want…" Just as she was about to press send, another message popped up.

- **You are not helping. Where are youuu? Kamar wants me to hurry up so we can leave soon. Black or red?!**

Right, Kamar. Teri pressed delete on her phone and decided to text her response instead.

 **- _Jeans. Definitely. See you soon! coco_**

Sighing, she dropped the phone and quickly got dressed. Light make up, teeth brushed, hair tosseled with some mousse. 20 minutes later and a double take in the mirror, Teri was out the door and headed toward the studio. The bright afternoon sun and the warm air calmed her nerves as she drove down the highway. Tonight's dinner at Peter's with the cast was almost like visiting relatives for dinner – comforting in its familiarity, but still an event that requires exerting effort in both appearance and performance, something she would usually rather avoid on her time off. Knowing that Sherri would be there, and that she tended to stick close by during these events, made the effort bearable. She loved her cast, they were family, but she sometimes felt like she was always expected to be funny and entertaining, filling silences and making sure everyone felt included. Sherri was more reserved, which mean Teri often had to work a little harder to keep her in the conversation, but she didn't mind. It made Teri feel important, kind of like the glue in the picture.

Teri pulled into the studio parking lot, pulling up beside Kamar's car. Looking into the car window, Sherri and Kamar appeared to be arguing and didn't notice that someone had pulled up beside them. _Should I interrupt them? I hate it when they fight, Sherri always gets so sad…_ Teri took a deep breath, honked the horn and smiled over at the other car. Sherri turned to see Teri and smiled back, but her eyes confirmed that they were in fact fighting. After saying something to Kamar, she got out of the car and walked around to Teri's passenger side door. She was wearing a red off-the-shoulder sheer top, black bra, and those tight jeans that made Teri's breath hitch. She looked stunning, as per usual.

Sherri opened the door and slid into the front seat, forcing a smile and saying hello with just a bit too much forced enthusiasm. Teri instantly reached for her hand.

 _"What's going on? Are you okay?"_

The fake smile remained in place.

"Oh yeah, everything's fine. Just discussing where the kids are going for the weekend. Everything is good. How are you? Ready for Peter's infamous pasta?"

Teri knew now wasn't the time to push for information as they both had to be presentable when they arrived at Peter's, and preferably on time. They had become such close friends over the last few years of working together that they could read each other better than anyone else – both a blessing and a curse. In this case, she knew Sherri wasn't alright and this had more to do with Kamar than the kids, but she felt comforted by Sherri's willingness to accept her reaching out. Teri continued to look at Sheri with concern.

"Later, love. We have to go." Sherri squeezed Teri's hand and then dropped it, reaching for her seat belt and turning up the radio. Teri appreciated that she acknowledged her recognition of something going on and decided to just drive, making a mental note to pay extra attention to Sherri's energy tonight. Teri began to chatter away about her two doodlebugs and their school projects, hoping to fill the air with random distractions, biding her time until she can get Sherri back to herself after dinner.


	2. Chapter 2

AN: Thanks so much for the encouraging reviews! Newbie writer here, but avid fanfiction reader, and just thought I would see if this would catch anyone's attention. Thanks for following and I hope you continue to enjoy where this is going.

 **Teri's POV**

The dinner was full of giddy laughter, delicious food, and flowing wine. Maia and Cierra claimed most of the air space, retelling stories of their adventures on set and the many pranks they pull on the crew. The rest of the cast chatted amongst themselves while they ate, and I sat close to Sherri all night, keeping my hand on her knee or rubbing circles on her back. We are normally so close that I figured that, by maintaining our usual mannerisms, the rest of the crowd would not notice how extremely quiet Sherri had been all night.

After taking in way too much pasta, I pushed my plate to the side and leaned back in my chair, groaning loudly while rubbing my stomach. "Peter, I know we have issues, but do you really have to try to kill me with your sinfully delicious pasta?" I whimpered. The girls laughed as Peter faked being offended. "Oh honey, pasta would not be my weapon of choice," he remarked. I smirked, standing to take Sherri's and my plate into the kitchen. Before I started to walk away, I glanced quickly back to see Sherri watching me. Without words, I was able to ask her if she was feeling okay and Sherri simply smiled and nodded in response. These kinds of silent conversations and casual check ins were normal between us. We somehow just understood exactly what the other was asking, or what they needed, at most times. As I turned to walk away, Cierra slipped into the spot I had previously occupied at Sherri's side and began chatting her ear off about her latest crush. I smiled and headed into the kitchen, letting Sherri's smooth laughter wash over me and sink into my pores.

As the evening wore on, I noticed how quickly Sherri's energy level was depleting. Just as Peter was about to offer Sherri as third glass of wine, I reached my arms up and yawned, dramatically leaning over and flopping my upper body into her Sherry's lap. "Sleepyyy" I whined as my eyes fluttered closed.

Sherry giggled and began to run her fingers through my hair. "I guess that's my cue to make sure this one gets home to bed," she announced. Peter laughed and put the wine bottle back on the table.

"Aw, mom, do you have to go?!" Cierra whined, cuddling into Sherri's other side and resting her head on her shoulder. Most of the kids had taken to calling Sherri and I mom both on and off set, and it never failed to warm my heart. I smiled and laughed lightly, eyes still closed.

"Yeah, what's the rush?" Maia leaned across Cierra's lap to tousle my hair. "Heyy! Stop that. I'm oldddd," I wailed. Sherri just laughed and flattened out my hair as I sat up. The girls snickered as Peter came over to take my hand, lifting me up into a bear hug and started thanking us for coming. Sherri wrapper her arms around Cierra and Maia, kissing both of them on the head. "We'll see you on set Monday morning, loves."

Sherri stood up behind me and began making her rounds to say good-bye to the cast and crew. I was talking to Brad and thanking him for helping Peter host the lovely dinner, chatting away about Monday's call time, when Sherri slid in beside me and laced her fingers in mine. She waited patiently as Brad finished what he was saying, then placed her head on my shoulder. I suddenly realized I was no longer listening to brad, his words drowned out by the girls chatter in the background and my racing heartbeat.

"Well, I better let this woman take me home now." I squeezed Sherri's hand, eyes dragging from our hands to her lips and finally making eye contact. She smiled. Brad leaned in to hug both of us before we headed for the door. "Bye, my loves" I called back to the room. Sherri and I both stepped out the door, closing it to the chorus of bye moms and love yous.

We held hands as we silently walked back to my car, the tension visibly leaving Sherri's shoulders. I opened the car door for her and just as she was about to let go of my hand and slip into the passenger seat, I whispered, "you okay, my love?"

She paused and turned to face me. Her eyes locked with mine as she leaned in and placed a quick kiss to the side of my face on the corner of my lips. "Take me home." She said, slightly grinning.

 _Did she… did she just… kiss me?!_ I could feel my pulse race and my breath hitch. _She probably meant to hit my cheek. I leaned too far in. Whatever it's no big deal, it's just a small peck, friendly, amicable even. We do this all the time…_

I took a second to brush a brown curl off her cheek, grazing the back of my fingertips along her chin. It was so easy to get lost in those deep chocolate eyes. _Shit I'm staring._ I mentally slapped myself, took a deep breath, and returned the grin. Backing away and turning to walk to the other side of the car, Sherri slipped into the seat and closed the door, seemingly unfazed.

 _Teri, get a hold of yourself. You need to take her home, back to Kamar and the kids. My kids, I gotta get home and pick up the doodlebugs from their dads tomorrow morning. Tonight was fun, but remember you are just driving her home…_

As I walked around to the driver side, I focused exclusively on calming my heart and slowing my breath to a normal rate. Opening the car door and sliding into the driver seat, I noticed that Sherri seemed to tensing up again as she stared at her cellphone. The more she scrolled, the more agitated she seemed to get.

"Everything okay babe?" _Shit did I just call her that? Teri, get it together!_ I flinched and tried to refocus on starting the car and backing out of Peter's driveway.

Sherri sighed and dropped her phone back into her purse, tossing it onto the floor and leaning back in her seat. "Kamar, being a jerk as per usual."

"Oh?" I glanced quickly in her direction, hoping to gage her reaction. She was looking away from me, watching out her window.

After a few seconds of silence, Sherri pulled her feet up to her chest and shifted in her seat so she was looking right at me. Looking back over, I see that she's smiling.

"What? What are you looking at?" I couldn't help but smile back. _Damn, why is she so beautiful? Those curls, those eyes, those perfect lips…_

"Nothing," She said, maintaining her grin. "Thank you."

"For?" I cautiously questioned.

"Being you…" She trailed off, but never taking her eyes off me. I was trying to uphold my focus on the road, but it was very difficult with her smiling at me like that.

"I'm not sure I follow," I responded, cocking an eyebrow in her direction.

"I know you know something's up, and I know that you were trying to take care of me tonight. I appreciate the back rubs and the check ins." She was quiet for a few seconds. "I particularly liked the fake, oh so dramatic yawn at the end up the night." She smirked.

"Fake?! That was not fake! I really am tired." I scoffed and playfully slapped her knee. I was about to pull away when she grabbed a hold of my hand and laced our fingers together. She seemed to be entranced in watching how they molded perfectly together. My stomach flip-flopped.

"I'm sure you are tired… as am I… but thank you."

"Always." I smiled and gave her hand a slight squeeze. She turned to look back out the window and we continued to drive in silence, hand in hand, down the freeway.

Ten minutes later, we were nearing the turn off that would take me to the house Sherri shared with Kamar and her two boys. I put the blinker on to indicate turning left and checked my mirrors.

"Um, are you really _that_ tired?" Sherri spoke suddenly, seemingly a little on edge.

"No of course not, why? You okay?" I was curious where this was leading and genuinely concerned at how much she tensed up when we were about to turn on her street. I turned off the blinker and kept right on driving.

"Maybe we can get an ice cream or something? Just don't really feel much like going home yet…" She seemed to hesitate on her words.

"Well, the doodlebugs are at their dads for the night, and I'm sure I have some frozen yogurt or something in the freezer, want to just come over for a bit? I'll take you home later."

Sherri smiled and nodded, easing back into her seat. She let go of my hand and reached down into her purse, presumably to text Kamar and let him she would be later than expected. I felt empty and cold all of a sudden, simply from the loss of contact. _Ugh, what did I get myself into? Sherri, at my house, alone…_ No, this is not the first time this has happened, and no it is not weird in any way. But tonight feels different. _She's just looking for a friend, Teri, that's all. Easy… Calm… Breathe._


	3. Chapter 3

When the girls walked into the house, Teri instinctively went up to her room to grab her oversized sweater and the fluffy blanket as Sherri went straight for the kitchen. When Teri returned, stopping in the living room to drop the blanket, she found Sherri staring intently at the wine rack. "Pinot or…?"

"Whatever you want, love" Teri answered, stepping in closer to Sherri, reaching her hand out intending to give her the sweater. Sherri grabbed the bottle off the rack and turned to see the blonde offering her the sweater that she loved so much that she somehow managed to steal every time she visited. It was an old sports grey sweater belonging to Teri's father that, though lightly tattered on the edges, held significant sentimental value to Teri. In the sweater she felt safe, protected, but more importantly, she felt intimately connected to Teri in a way that very few others were able to be. She beamed sweetly.

"Thank you, again." Sherri whispered, barely audible. She reached out and grabbed on to the sweater, grazing her fingers over Teri's underneath the material. It was almost as if electricity was running between them, and they both buzzed from it. Teri breath hitched and she blushed, letting the material fall into Sherri's hand then took a step back. She watched attentively as Sherri placed the wine bottle on the counter and pulled the sweater over her head. When it finally settled around her body, covering the toned caramel torso she had just been eyeing, Teri reached forward and helped to lift the soft brown curls out of the collar and readjusted the hood.

Teri was so caught up in what she was doing that she hadn't noticed Sherri starting to wrap her arms around her waste. As Teri finished smoothing out the sweater material around Sherri's shoulders, the sensation of fingertips bunching material behind her back started to register in her mind. Teri tried to shake the fog that had seeped into her mind and looked up to meet brown eyes boring back into her own; she tried to read the expression on Sherri's face, but all she could distinguish was sadness and confusion.

"Love, I wish you'd talk to me," Teri whispered as she moved in closer, bringing her left hand up to cup the side of Sherri's face. Sherri blinked a few times, holding back the tears threatening to escape, and pulled the blonde in front of her closer to her chest. Sherri wrapped her arms tight around Teri's waist, resting her chin on her shoulder. "I'm just so tired of fighting," Sherri mumbled into Teri's neck, pulling tighter on the back the blondes black tank top.

Teri started to rub circles on the small of the Sherri's back with one hand, securely holding the woman's head in place with the other. "I'm here, love. You don't have to fight right now. It's okay." She cooed into the other woman's ear.

She couldn't tell if Sherri was actually crying or if she was just trying to calm her breathing, but she could feel the woman shaking in her embrace, struggling to take deep breaths. Teri tried to mimic Sherri's movements, pressing their stomachs together in effort to help sync their breathing and calm Sherri's nerves. The two stood like that, entwined together, in Teri's kitchen for several minutes. The more their breathing evened out, the more Sherri began to seem more confident and steady on her feet and she finally started to back away. It was only once the two stood a few inches a part that Teri could see the tear streaks down Sherri's cheeks.

"Aw love…" Teri brought both hands up to gently brush away the remnants of tears with her thumbs, trying hard to send as much love, compassion, and empathy as she could through her gaze and soft smile. _I wish I could tell her I love her. I wish it would matter if I did. It's so frustrating that she can't see what she's worth because Kamar is clearly treating her like crap… or is he? I guess I really have no idea what's going on since she's been so distant from me lately. What happened to talking every day? The non-stop texts and updates about everything from her life with the boys to what pizza she was ordering tonight. Come to think of it, it's really only been the last month or so that she's pulled away…_ Teri's mind rattled away with her thoughts, desperately trying to process the confusion and her own feelings about this beautiful woman before her.

Sherri brought her hands up to cover Teri's and smiled. "What would I ever do without you?"

The two beamed at each other, holding hands between them. The intensity of emotion running between the two was palpable. Holding hands, time seemingly standing still, eyes desperately reaching for each other, the whole thing was familiar but powerful. The connection between the two women was intoxicating, obvious to even the most innocent viewers, and yet there was an invisible line drawn somewhere between this – this consuming, overpowering craving – and the reality of what is or could be. The uncertainty of its mutuality preventing either party from acting.

"You would drink a lot less wine, how sad would that be?" Teri joked in response to Sherri's question, effectively breaking the intensity in the room. Sherri laughed light heartedly, dropping Teri's hands, and grabbed the wine bottle off the counter then headed for the living room. "Grab the glasses. I'm picking the movie. And no, it will NOT be a stupid rom-com," Sherri called from the hallway.

Teri laughed and let out a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding for a bit. _My god, what is that woman doing to me? I'm not crazy, she has to feel that too… Or does she?... No. She just needs a friend. I have to be that friend tonight…_


	4. Chapter 4

AN: Thank you, thank you, thank you for the reviews! I'm glad you are enjoying this story. I promise it's going somewhere good, so stay with me. Coco ;)

Teri POV

The rest of Friday night was fairly uneventful. Sherri had chosen to watch Dancing with the Stars instead of a movie, and I happily obliged. We cuddled up on the couch and played dance critic, laughing between dances and sips of wine. When the show ended, I drove Sherri back to her place and she left the car with a small kiss on my cheek and a giggly thank you. That was the end of that evening.

Saturday morning, before going to pick up the kids, I texted Sherri to see if she wanted to join us for brunch with her boys. No answer. I figured she must be busy or dealing with Kamar. Later in the evening, I texted her again to see how her day was. By Sunday morning, I still had not heard from her and started to worry a bit.

 **\- "Love, is everything okay? Starting to panic over here. Do I need to get my uniform and come arrest someone for kidnapping you? :p"** I tried to text her again.

Realizing that it had been less than 48 hours since I'd seen her, which meant I couldn't legally file a missing persons report, I decided to just give her the space she was maybe asking for. _Yes, it's weird for her to not answer text messages, but she does seem to be dealing with a lot lately. I guess she's just busy. But what if she needs something? Should I go over there? Should I just casually drop by? Should I call? No, she hates phone calls and honestly so do I… Ugh, I'll see her tomorrow. It's fine._ I was internally trying to reason with myself, convince myself that everything was fine. Realistically, it was none of my business anyway.

Sunday night before bed I reached out to her one last time.

- **"Hi love, I hope this weekend was okay and you were happily busy. I'll see you on set tomorrow morning. Regular coffee and bagel in hand. Good night. coco"**

I pulled into the parking lot on set early Monday morning, groaning a bit from the bright sunlight. I carried the tray of coffees in my left hand and a bag of bagels in the right, sauntering over to the trailers. Before I could reach Sherri's trailer, I heard a very distinct squeal come from the direction of the make-up trailer.

"Mom! Breakfast!" Cierra was excitedly skipping toward me. I laughed and immediately shoved the bag of bagels in her direction, hoping it would prevent her from tackling me to the ground or spilling the coffee. "Morning love. You're awfully chipper today. Don't you know you're supposed to be grumpy in the morning, you know, like a regular teenager?" I teased.

Cierra just scoffed and winked at me. I really do love these kids. "Where's mama?" I asked, trying to feign nonchalance. "Oh, I think Peter said she was coming in late? I guess we're doing Callie and Brandon's scene first and we'll take up the family scene in the afternoon." Cierra was barely paying attention to me as she dug through the bagels to find the cinnamon one.

"Oh, okay cool. Guess I'll take these coffees to Maia and David then, since they are likely not as awake as they'll need to be this morning," I was trying not to sound disappointed or to let Cierra know I was concerned about Sherri, so I just shrugged it off and together we headed to set where the rest of the cast and crew was chatting amongst themselves. _No matter what, this place always feels like home…_

When I walked on stage, my thoughts were interrupted by hugs and thank yous from the rest of the kids. Peter came up behind me and put his hands on my shoulders; "Where's mine?!" he joked.

"You know we don't allow you to drink coffee. As if you need more energy!" the crew laughed.

"True true… So Sherri won't be in until 11 today."

"I heard." I was paying close attention to the tone of his voice, but it failed to indicate any kind of concern or apprehension.

"Okay good. So since we aren't doing the family scene until this afternoon now and we'll do Brandon and Callie's beach scene first, how about you take the rest of the kids and run lines with them at the house?" Peter pointed over his shoulder to the living room set at the back.

Mouth full of bagel, Cierra began to protest, saying something about not needing help with lines. Peter pulled her into a bear hug and chuckled, saying it was really me who needed the help and the kids could make sure I stayed on task. I put a hurt puppy dog look on my face as I turned away, snickering and pulling Cierra by the hand. "Come on, Miss Thang, let's go find Hayden."

A few minutes later, I settled into the chair opposite the couch, coffee in one hand and script in the other. The kids sat comfortably across from me and we began to run lines. Our words seamlessly flowed together as our energy continued to feed one line into the next. Even without the physical movements of acting, our chemistry brought forward every emotion as raw and powerful as it would later appear on film. This crew was simply amazing.

 _I'm not sure how I ever existed prior to this family. I've never felt more stable, more whole in my entire life._ I smiled contently, listening to the kids share lines amongst themselves, taking turns pretending to be the characters that were absent. Hayden certainly played a mean Mike.

As Cierra read a line intended for Sherri, my mind started to drift back to the last season. Filming season two of this show was perhaps my most challenging life experience yet. Watching Sherri go through the motions of playing a pregnant mother who had to choose between her own life and that of her unborn child, seeing Hayden struggle with silence and the power of finding your voice again, Cierra internally processing the feelings Marianna had when trying to sort out being the "race quota" on her dance team and how to "fit in" when she was meant to stand out, Callie never being able to catch a break and Maia constantly reliving that deep uncertainty with her character, even playing Stef as she struggled to protect her kids from all the evils of the world – it was all very emotionally draining. But as intense and challenging as the season was, it was also full of love and triumph and discovery.

My mind travelled to one particular scene that always seemed to get my heart racing. My favourite scene to date was easily in the baby moon episode. Stef and Lena had been disconnected for so long that after finally reaching a breaking point and having their first honest conversation in a while, they get to reconnect – physically. _I still remember reading the script for that episode, how my heart skipped a beat as I read that Lena would get to kiss Stef, and go a little further. I remember being disappointed for the first time that this was being filmed for cable TV. When we did the table read for that episode, Sherri had been playing with my hair and seemed completely unfazed by the scene. She read the lines flawlessly, effortlessly leaning over to kiss me when the script told her to do so. It was nearly impossible to not push the scene further, explore more of her touch and her kiss, but I was keenly aware of the audience around the room. Our first take of the scene had been full of laughter and mishaps. The first time Sherri tried to flip us over on the bed, I had kicked a lamp off the side table. When Sherri tried to pull my shirt over my head, it got caught on my earrings and I laughed way too hard. Brad was laughing too much to be mad at having to call cut every few minutes. The lines were perfect but I was so nervous that we couldn't help but keep screwing up and laughing. Peter eventually told us to take a break and regroup in five, so I had run to my trailed for a quick breather and to readjust my clothing._

 _That was when Sherri came to see me, alone, in my trailer. -_

*Flashback*

"Hey love, need any help with your shirt? I hope I didn't rip it and I'm only kind of sorry if I did." Sherri looked amused as she stepped into my trailer and walked over to where I was standing in front of the mirror.

"Nah, it's totally fine, I'm sorry I'm such a clutz today – I can't seem to my body to coordinate with my brain." I used laughter to try to disguise the nervousness and anxiety in my voice. _What is wrong with me today?_

"You seem nervous… Is it something I'm doing?" Sherri's voice dropped a bit, filled with worry and… sadness?

I turned toward her and put my hands on her shoulders. "No, no, no. Love, it's not you. I'm just having on off day I guess. I'll get it together, I promise." I tried to muster my best reassuring smile.

"Okay…" Sherri's voice trailed off. She reached up for my hands and held them in hers, bringing them up to her lips to kiss the back of my knuckles. She was slow with her movements, dropping my hands and grazing her fingertips up my bare arms. I was lost in her eyes, not really aware that my heart was racing and my breath hitched as she ran the back of her knuckles along my neck. Slow and quiet, seemingly lost in her own movements.

"It's just me out there, you know…" I was barely able to focus on the words she was saying. "You don't have to be nervous. I'm right here with you and I'm not going anywhere…" She ran her thumb along my bottom lip and I did everything I could to stop my knees from buckling. I nodded my head slightly which seemed to break the moment. Sherri smiled, brown eyes reaching far into mine, and leaned in pressing her soft lips to mine. It was quick and chaste, but warm and comforting all the same. She pulled back and winked, sheepishly grinning. "Let's do this," she said as she grabbed my hand and pulled me back toward the set. It was all I could do to concentrate every ounce of my energy into willing my legs to comply and follow my _work_ wife back to set.

After that, it only took one shot to get the scene. I was on fire with every touch Sherri offered. We were completely in sync and flowed effortlessly from one position to the next. When my shirt came off and my hands groped eagerly at her caramel skin, I had to try to remember that her shirt was not meant to come off in the scene. Everything seemed to happen so fast and yet it felt like Sherri and I were the only two in the world. She dug her nails into my side and I moaned, luckily only loud enough for Sherri to hear. I felt her lips curve up into a small grin as she continued to grab at whatever bare skin she could reach.

Just as she was about to reach higher, Peter called cut. But instead of jumping back, Sherri kissed me one last time. This kiss was different than the rest; it was harder, deeper, more desperate than any of our others. But it ended as fast as it started, and soon she was sitting back up and running her fingers through her hair, lazy grin on her lips. I barely registered Peter and Brad going on and on about how perfect that shot was and how glad they were that we figured it out. I just stayed there, motionless on my back, trying to get my breathing back in check. My eyes had been closed for a few minutes, but when I opened them I was drawn into Sherri's stare, she was grinning contently in my direction, love and passion radiating from within her. I blushed and smirked back, using the last of my energy to sit up. Just before I could lean in to kiss her again, our bubble was broken by crew members whirling about and Peter calling for the set up of the next scene. Just like that, our moment was gone. And it never quite came back… - *End Flashback*

"Mom… Mommm…. Teri!" Cierra was calling to me, the sound of my name finally shaking me from my thoughts. "Sorry love, tired. What's up?" I sat up and reclaimed my focus on the kids in front of me.

"Mama just walked in so we all have to head to hair and make up. Peter called set time in 20 minutes." Cierra was standing over me now, reaching out her hand to help me up. I think she looked a bit concerned, but before she could ask anything I grabbed onto her hand and forced her to skip with me to the trailer, giggling the whole way.


	5. Chapter 5

Sherri had been sitting in the make up trailer talking idly to one of the make up artists when Cierra and Teri walked in. Cierra sauntered over to Sherri's side and leaned in, placing a quick kiss on her cheek. "Hi Sweetie," Sherri crooned. "Hi mama," she said, passing right by her and over to her chair near the back of the trailer. She kissed the awaiting make up artists on both cheeks, grinning ear to ear as they started to discuss Marianna's look for the day.

Teri hugged the hair stylist and followed his instructions to hop up into the seat next to Sherri's as he began to comb through her hair. "Hi stranger," she teased, glancing over at Sherri.

Sherri had on a seemingly dull and reserved smile, but returned the tease with a warm laugh and responded, "Hi love. Sorry I missed coffee this morning."

"No worries. Everything alright with the little ones?" Teri began to flip through the pages of the magazine in front of her, trying to appear as casual as possible.

"All good." Sherri was short and deliberate with her answers. She was sure Teri would pick up on her unease regardless of what she said, but she really was not in the mood to talk about it. She also did not want to talk about the weekend, so she hoped Teri would leave the interrogating until later. She just wanted to get on set, where she could laugh and play and forget all her worries in the presence of her second family.

Of course Teri had noticed the harshness of Sherri's tone, but she could see by the way Sherri was absentmindedly scrolling through her phone that she did not want to engage in any kind of heavy conversation at the moment. She made a mental note to question more later, and instead started reading out ridiculous celebrity gossip headlines trying to get a laugh out of her costar. Several divorce headlines and possible baby bump rumors in, and the two were giggling and bantering with ease. The filming that afternoon went as smooth and unhindered as usual.

It was almost time for dinner when Teri finally got back to her trailer. She had about 2 hours before she had to be back on set for the live tweet tonight, so she went to search out Maia to see if she wanted to grab some food. Passing her own trailer on her way to Maia's, she spotted Sherri walking toward her trailer and called out to her.

"Hey love, are you still joining us for the live tweet tonight?"

Sherri turned around as Teri walked up to her. "Nah, I'm on baby duty tonight so I think I'll skip it. Next time!" She smiled. Teri tried to mask her true disappointment by dramatically pouting and whining about the fans hating them forever due to her lack of twitter love. Sherri laughed and leaned in for a quick hug. "I'll see you tomorrow." Teri smiled and turned to continue on her way to Maia's trailer.

They decided to order pizza and Maia would go pick it up to bring it back as they figured the might as well stay close to set. When Maia headed to her car, Teri strolled back past Sherri's trailer toward her own. In passing she heard loud banging noises coming from inside. Slightly concerned, she went over and opened up the door, peeking her head in.

"I thought you were heading home for the night…" Teri saw Sherri frantically rummaging around in her drawer, barely having acknowledged her entrance.

"I am heading home, I just can't seem to find my ring." Sherri answers, distracted by her search.

"Your wedding ring?" Teri questioned, stepping fully into the trailer, walking cautiously over to Sherri and putting her hand on the small of the other woman's back, hoping to get her to stop long enough to explain what was going on.

"Yes, my wedding ring. I took it off this morning and left it on the counter, but it's gone now. And I wouldn't normally care, but Kamar will be looking for it and I don't need another thing to piss him off. I'm already tired of dealing with his attitude." Sherri ranted and continued searching under the various items in her drawers.

"Love, can you stop and look at me for a second?" Teri was careful with her words, trying to be soothing so as to deescalate Sherri's frantic movements.

Sherri closed the drawer and stood back, turning around to face Teri. "I just need to find it…" Just as Teri was about to speak again, Sherri pushed past her and headed for the door.

"Where are you going?"

"I think I know where it is…" Sherri called back as she jogged out the door. Teri followed her, right into her own trailer. She watched as Sherri stepped inside the trailer and over to the table in the kitchen area. Sitting on the table in a round dish was Sherri's wedding ring. Sherri sighed as she put the ring back on her finger and turned around to see a very confused Teri starting back at her.

"I forgot that I had stopped in here this morning to see you, but you were already on set. I guess I had sat down for a bit and took off the ring here before filming. I'm sorry." Her voice sounded relieved, but also carried a hint of sadness in her words.

Teri laughed lightly. "That's fine love, you know you are always welcome in here." With that, Sherri thought it was the end of their conversation and went to head back out the door, but not before Teri caught her arm.

"Are we ever going to talk about what's going on?" Teri was looking right into those chocolate eyes, forcing the other woman to stop and give her an honest answer.

Sherri sighed and sat down on the bench behind her, motioning for Teri to sit beside her. When the two were sitting next to each other, Sherri began to rant about her fights with Kamar and her challenges with the boys, about her guilt with her family and her fears of inadequacy on set. Teri listened attentively, haphazardly rubbing circles on her costars thigh. Her heart ached for the woman in front of her. When the ranting was over, Teri pulled her into a comforting embrace, whispering reassurances and words of kindness into her ear. The two stayed like that for a few minutes, until they heard Maia outside talking on her cellphone.

When the two separated, Sherri could tell she felt like a huge weight had lifted from her shoulders. It was a rare privilege to be able to unload all the worries and pain that can bog you down with someone who was both pleased to share your burden and capable of doing so. Teri was a little bewildered by everything Sherri had shared with her, but if it meant allowing her a little room to breathe and the ability to feel better – even if it was just platonic and temporary – Teri would be forever willing to be that support system for this woman. She hoped this connection was a strong reminder for Sherri to continue to open up and not hide herself away from the one woman who would always show her unconditional love.

Maia's phone conversation ended and she completed the last few steps to the trailer, opening the door and stepping inside. "Mama! I didn't know you were staying for the live tweet," she beamed. Before Sherri could counter her statement, Maia displayed the pizza box in her hands to the older woman. "We have your favourite! Please say you're staying with us," she pleaded in her adorable ausy drawl.

"My favorite girls and my favorite food? I guess I can't say no to that now can I?" Sherri smirked, standing to take the pizza box from the girl and opened it on the counter. Taking a bite from the slice she had picked up, Sherri mumbled something about texting Kamar to pick up the boys. Teri breathed a sigh of relief knowing that Sherri would be staying with them for the night. At least that way she would spend the evening being pleasantly distracted from the rest of what was going on in her life.

The next few hours were spent snuggling together on the couch, taking cute selfies to share with the fans and helping each other answer the endless steam of twitter questions. There was so much laughter, love, and compassion amongst the group, both in the room and in cyberspace. This truly was one of the best parts of their job. After one particularly adorable photo, Maia watched the two older women giggling to each other and absentmindedly stated, "I hope I find that some day."

Sherri, almost out of breath from laughing so much, looked over at her with a slightly confused expression. "Find what sweetie?"

"True love." She stated, matter-of-factly.

Teri just beamed, leaning in to nuzzle Sherri's neck. Both of the women were grinning ear to ear and when Maia had looked back down to her laptop. Teri took the second of privacy to kiss Sherri's collarbone and suck gently on her skin. Sherri's breath hitched. The quickening heart rate did not go unnoticed by Teri.

The blonde backed up just enough to peek up at those chocolate eyes, noticing that they had darkened a shade or two. Sherri was still smiling but quiet, focusing intently and waiting to see what Teri would do next. She would not likely resist any further moves from the other woman, but knew they should both be very much aware of their audience, however hazy they may seem in the distance.

Sherri's mind fumbled _. Wait… What am I hoping will happen?_ She was a little caught off guard by the sudden shift in her thoughts, the anticipation sending electric shocks coursing through her veins. Was she hoping that Teri would actually kiss her, unscripted and off set?

While Sherri was becoming cognizant of her own budding arousal, Teri could sense the change her in appearance and backed up to give her some space. When enough distance was created between the two of them, Teri winked at her before returning to look at her cellphone, answering some of the tweets that had come in. Sherri exhaled the breath she was holding and relaxed a bit. _I have to figure out what THAT was all about… could that be what's up with Kamar? Is Teri really the one I'd rather be with?..._

Sherri continued to watch Teri as she interacted with her fans, laughing and describing in great detail for everyone in the room her witty banter with several online followers. She was hysterical. Really, she was the one with the biggest heart and the most intoxicating laugh. The cast spent the rest of the night amused and content, happy to know they would rather be nowhere but here in this very moment.


	6. Chapter 6

AN: Some of the lines from this chapter are taken from various clips of interviews with Teri and Sherri that have taken place over the last year or so about the show in different contexts (not from any one particular interview). All the copyright props to those interviews! Oh, and I hear you and appreciate your concern for Sherri and Kamar's relationship. I agree, this man does not have to be the bad guy! Stick with me on this, I promise I hear you. ;) coco.

 **Teri's POV**

 **"** Mom! Mama! Guess what?!" It was Thursday afternoon and the cast had been mingling around, munching on some snacks in between scenes, when Maia came bounding over to where Sherri and I had been sitting on the couch. We had been idly discussing our weekend plans – my aquarium date with Bailey and her dreaded dinner date with the in-laws – before being interrupted by Maia's obvious excitement.

"What is it love?" I questioned, barely able to contain the smirk from Maia's contagious enthusiasm.

"We're going to New York!" She was utterly ecstatic.

"New York?" Sherri repeated, cocking an eyebrow, probing for more information.

"Peter just said he booked the three of us for an interview on The View! In NEW YORK!" Maia was practically bouncing from the excitement, not at all perturbed by Sherri's lackluster response.

"That's great, love. When is it?" I tried to sound excited, more for Maia's benefit than my own.

"Next weekend. We leave Thursday after shooting, the interview is early Friday morning, and I think he said we'll be back sometime on Saturday." She hurriedly filled us in on the rest of the travel details before running off to tell Cierra. She knew Cierra couldn't come because she was working on Friday, but maybe she'd be able to meet them Saturday and the two of them could stay for an extra night or two to explore the city.

"So, New York, huh?" Sherri said, perhaps trying to infuse her words with at least a hint of interest.

"I can talk to Peter and see if Maia and I can go solo if you'd rather stay with the boys?" I offered, secretly hoping she would not take me up on that offer.

"Definitely not. I could use the weekend away, especially with my favourite wife." She smiled, bopping me on the nose with her finger.

"Hey! I better be your only wife!" I scoffed, playfully grabbing at her hands. We finished filming that afternoon and went on our separate ways, both increasing in excitement the more we got to talk with Peter and Maia about the interview. It wouldn't be our first, but this particular trip had interesting timing – Sherri desperately needed the weekend away, and I was craving some more offset time with her.

Maia arrived on set a week later with two suitcases and a duffle bag at her side. Sherri was glancing over my shoulder watching the younger girl struggling with maneuvering her luggage, her dog, and herself. As I turned around to follow her line of sight, I couldn't help but laugh at the situation.

"Planning to move to New York, love?" I teased.

"What, this? You think all this is for me? No way. One of these suitcases is all Sadie's! Girl does not know how to pack light." She was goodhearted when it came to being teased about her obsession with her pug. It was her child and the rest of the family knew to treat her as such. Teri just laughed and continued to drink her coffee, cocking her eyebrows at her, failing to hide her smirk.

The filming seemed to be dragging on and on all day. The scenes were well rehearsed and the transitions smooth, but the clock still appeared to stand still. I was already feeling anxious about flying – I'm not a great flyer – and the anticipation of leaving for a weekend with Sherri was not helping to settle my nerves. By the time Brad called cut on the last scene of the day, I was beyond ready for a strong drink and a nap, hoping I could get both of those things on the flight.

After a few quick phone calls home, we made our way to the airport and checked in, Sherri and I each helping Maia with her ridiculous amount of luggage for a 2 day trip. Having flown several times with me in the past, Sherri knew I was not a great flyer and offered up her aisle seat to me. I graciously accepted, both the seat and her hand during take off and landing. Peter had arranged a car service from the airport to our hotel – a beautiful luxury hotel in downtown Manhattan – and we were all so tired by the time we arrived that we went straight to our rooms to crash for the night. Although I was a bit saddened by being separated from Sherri for the night, I knew that a good solo sleep was exactly what I would need to prepare for the onslaught of questions, autographs, and photos that would take place in the morning.

 _"I took one look at Sherri and said, yeah well okay. I'll play a lesbian with her."_ My voice rang out from the TV screen in front of us. Maia and I both laughed and Sherri blushed again at the comment.

The three of us were curled up on the couch in Sherri's room, Maia in the middle holding a popcorn bowl with Sherri and I on either side, watching the preview we had been sent of the interview. The day had been packed, as anticipated, with photos and autographs and style meetings and interview prep and the interview itself. By the time dinner had ended, which we all graciously attended on an invitation from The View crew, we were all so exhausted that we passed up offers to visit the producers house in favour of heading back to the hotel to hang out in PJs. After an hour or so of showering, changing, and relaxing, we all gathered in my room to watch the interview and debrief together. This was maybe my favorite part of the trip.

 _"You do not have a bad side. Fuck off."_ Sherri had answered in reaction to a comment I made about the directors always filming on my bad side. I scoffed again at the TV, and Maia answered, "It's true. You really don't have a bad side. It's not fair." I playfully hit her with the pillow, not wanting to accept the compliment. Sherri was smiling at me. The interviewer asked a question about my distaste for the word 'tolerance' and I went into my spiel about the reality of family dynamics today. As I watched my rambling on the screen, I grimaced at how much I seemed to stumble over my words. I looked at the other two girls to see if they noticed and Sherri was still smiling at me. It appeared that she hadn't even been paying much attention to the interview, but she was visibly happy. I tore my eyes away from hers and back to the screen, hoping she didn't notice that I was blushing. Maia started to giggle over Sherri's impressions of Peter, answering some questions about our antics on set.

 _"That's because it's about love. It's about family. It's about loving…"_ My voice trailed off on camera as Sherri was leaning in to kiss me during the interview. I remember thinking for a second that she might actually kiss me on TV, but she moved to kiss my cheek at the last second. Maia awed with the interviewers as she watched us interact on the screen. Sherri and I both rolled our eyes, nudging Maia who just giggled in response.

 _"These people are my family… I don't know if you're like parents, maybe like my sisters, but you're family…"_

"Oh god, my voice sounds so awful on TV," Maia whined. "Your voice is fine. And I'm way too old to be your sister, but that was a nice gesture," I answered, putting my arm around her shoulder. We all laughed.

All of a sudden I hear my voice raise about 10 notches and I realize I'm singing the theme song to Elmo's World on national TV. "Oh my god, no, no, no…." I pulled the pillow into my lap and buried my face in it, curling into the fetal position on the couch. Sherri and Maia burst out laughing, both climbing over to cuddle me. "You're so cute!" Sherri howled. "I'm so impressed! I can't believe I didn't know you can do that until this morning!" Maia exclaimed.

"You were at Roberts." I mumbled into the pillow. "I hate my life…" Despite being 10 different shades of red, I was laughing into the pillow, hidden underneath the two girls trying desperately to console me.

 _"You can't come back from that…"_ Maia's TV voice answered. I pulled the pillow down, shifting as the two girls sat back. "You really can't come back from that," I deadpanned.

Maia rested her head on my shoulder, snuggling into my side, and said, "That's why you're our favourite."

"It's true," Sherri added.

At one point in the interview, we talked about how Stef and Lena's life had changed post-wedding and what the rest of the season might look like. In talking about the wedding, Sherri had seemingly subconsciously shifted back on the couch, leaning into my side as I had put my arm around her shoulders, careful to leave my hand on the back of the couch. We talked some more. Eventually she had reached out and rested her hand on my knee, so I took that moment to wrap my hand around her shoulder and pull her back slightly closer to me, and we had stayed like that for the rest of the interview – comfortable, close, supportive, excited, passionate about the show and each other. Watching us sit like that, how we both watched Maia explain her take on being a role model for Foster kids, I realized now that we really did look like a couple. We really did look like a family…

The interview ended with rushed kisses and thank yous and a roaring applause from the audience. "At least they still love me," I said, referencing the very appreciative audience.

"Aw, don't be like that. We all love you." I made an exaggerated frowning face at Maia, who cupped the sides of my face and gave me a quick kiss on the tip of my nose. "What would I ever do with you, my love?" I asked, closed eyes and bright smile.

"Let's never find out!" Maia answered, standing up from the couch. "I'm going to go call Cierra and find out what time her plane lands in the morning. I'll see you two for breakfast at 8?"

"So earlyyy…" Sherri whined, sprawling out and turning toward the inside of the couch, kicking her feet out on my lap and hiding her face under a pillow on the opposite end of the couch.

"And I'm the teenager?" Maia laughed as she walked toward the door.

"I'll make sure she's there. Sleep well love." I said, grinning and gently rubbing Sherri's toned calf muscles.

"Bye mamas. Love you!" Maia stepped out of the door and quickly looked back over her shoulder, blowing kisses as we both answered with love yous.

After the door clicked shut, I wiggled around enough to move from underneath Sherri's legs and lay down on the inside of the couch, curing into her and resting my head on her stomach, wrapping my arm around her hip. I could feel my head rising and falling in rhythm with her breathing. I was getting lost in the faint sound of her heartbeat, enjoying how comfortable and how easy this was with her. She started to run her fingers through my hair, neither one of us talking or making any effort to get up.

We stayed like that for a little while, each caught up in our own thoughts, savoring each other's calm presence. I noticed Sherri's fingers had stilled in my hair and her breathing was slowing. I carefully lifted my head and looked up at her, just enough to see that she had fallen asleep. I smiled and contemplated staying here like this, letting her sleep, and resting longer with her in my arms. I knew from the way her head was resting that she would have an extremely sore neck in the morning if I let her stay here on this couch - barely big enough for one, let alone the both of us. I watched her sleep for a minute, her features soft, her beauty seeming so effortless.

I disentangled myself from the sleeping Sherri and carefully lunged over her, landing with a thud on the floor in front of the couch. Sometimes I was graceful, sometimes I was not. Sherri started to stir as I stood up and rubbed at my now aching behind. She rolled over and looked up at me, reaching up to rub her eyes. She had only been asleep for a few minutes, but it was enough to make her slightly groggy and a little confused about her surroundings.

"It's late my love, we should get some sleep." I said softly, reaching out my hand to help her up. "So sleepy," was all she answered with, taking my hand but not exactly cooperating with my attempt to help her stand. I tried to stifle a laugh as I smiled at how cute she was being. As it turns out, Sleepy Sherri is quite adorable.

I tugged gently on her hand, which was enough to get her to stand, but once standing she just wrapped her arms around my shoulders and nuzzeled into my neck. Her embrace caught me off guard a little, but my body reacted on its own – one hand went up to comb through her brown curls and the other arm wrapped tightly around her lower back, securing her body to mine. I thought maybe she was trying to stabilize her balance from standing up quickly, but she seemed steady and was softly rubbing her nose on my neck, pressing her body firmly against mine.

My mind was spinning. _What is she doing? Calm down, calm down, calm down._ I was wiling my heart to slow down, but it raced faster with every movement Sherri made, each sense of warm breath on my neck and chest sending tingling sensations up and down my spine.

"Do you want to stay here with me tonight?" The words were out of my mouth before I could even really mentally process what it was I was asking. _Shit. What did I just do?!_ I had kind of whispered the question, so maybe she didn't hear me. I held my breath.

Sherri pulled back from me, separating us just slightly, and looked at me. _Maybe she is trying to see if I was serious, maybe she is contemplating yelling at me for being inappropriate, maybe she is…_

She nodded.

I let out the breath I was holding and reached for her hand, lacing our fingers together. I gently pulled her toward the side of the room where the bed was, flicking off the light and turning the lock as we walked past the door. When we neared the foot of the bed, I dropped her hand and stepped to the left side of the bed, watching as she walked around to the other side. We both climbed in under the covers and lay on our side, facing each other. The room was dark but for the moonlight coming in from the window. All I could see was the outline of Sherri's features until my eyes adjusted to the darkness. Despite how tired she claimed to be, I could see Sherri very much awake, staring at me. I smiled and closed my eyes, indicating (at least I hoped) that I was happy she was here and felt safe going to sleep next to her.

A few seconds later I felt the body next to me shift in the bed, inching closer to me. Before I could open my eyes, I felt lips press ever so softly on my own. I kissed back. It was gentle and quick. Sherri pulled back about an inch and then kissed my forehead. When I opened my eyes, I saw her smiling as she pulled back and rolled over to her other side, facing toward the window and away from me. I lay there, still for a few moments, processing what had just happened. My lips were tingling. I felt giddy and calm at the same time. I took a minute to get my body under control and then inched closer to the brunette in front of me. I wrapped one arm back under my head and the other around Sherri's waist, pulling her closer to me. Sherri responded by placing her hand over mine and lacing our fingers together, tugging just a bit so she was able to push back even closer to me. I placed a quick kiss on the back of her shoulder and then rested my head gently on the pillow. _This feels good. She feels good. This whole night just feels… right._ As I slowly drifted off to sleep, my mind danced circles around images of her lips on mine, reveling in the serenity of having her body resting peacefully in my arms. _I think I'd be okay if I never awoke from this dream…_


	7. Chapter 7

AN: My apologies for the slow update! Things are busy but I promise to update weekly. Thanks so much for the reviews and follows, it really means a lot to me! I'm also reading other stories on here and am so impressed/inspired by the other writers. I'm grateful for the community here. Thanks for following me on this. coco

"Mom?! Mom! Breakfast time! Wakey wakey!" Teri startled from the sound of Maia's voice ringing through the room from the other side of the door. She shifted in the bed, groaning into the pillow as she peaked one eye open and glanced at the clock on the side table. 9:05. Shit. She rolled back on the bed and reached her hand out, intending to shake the sleeping woman beside her, but found only empty space. The realization that she was alone in the bed was enough to make her fully alert. She sat up and looked around the room. Definitely alone. No trace of left behind of the woman who she was sure was in her bed just hours before.

Teri ran her fingers through her hair and over her face. "2 minutes! Coming!" she shouted back, sliding out of the bed and searching frantically through her suitcase for jeans and a clean top. _What happened last night? Why did she leave? When did she leave? Is she okay? Does she regret staying here? Does she think I pressured her into staying here?_ Once fully dressed, she quickly went into the bathroom, swirled some mouthwash around, and splashed some water on her face in attempt to hide the dark circles forming under her eyes.

"Teri, love, we're going to be late." Sherri called from outside the room. _She's already with Maia? What is going on?_ Teri crossed the room, mentally preparing for whatever she was going to encounter on the other side of the door, and took a deep breath.

"There you are, sleepy head." Maia chastised, hooking her arm around Teri's waist and starting to move down the hall toward the elevator. Sherri grinned at Teri and gently nudged her shoulder as Maia moved the two past her. Teri scrunched her eyebrows, trying to convey her confusion through her expression, but gave up when Sherri showed no reaction. It was as if Sherri had no idea why Teri would be confused in the first place.

Maia chattered away at her side, explaining that Cierra would be at the hotel hopefully by the time they were done breakfast, and asking if the two older women were going to stick around for another night to explore the city with the girls.

"Mama is too old for that kind of fun." Sherri made up some excuse about needing to get back for the boys and confirmed that she would be leaving on the afternoon flight back to California. Teri nodded in response, seconding Sherri's reason for leaving – age and responsibilities. The three enjoyed their breakfast in the hotel, all idly discussing the show, the interview, Maia's new fling, life in general. Everything was as it had always been.

At first, Teri tried to read into Sherri's attitude and demeanor, hoping to get a sense of what the woman was feeling. But there was nothing out of the ordinary. The conversations were as light and seamless as usual, absolved of any anticipated tension. Sherri's body language was open and relaxed, casually leaning into Teri's space, moving a hair off her cheek or stealing a piece of fruit from her plate. It wasn't long before Teri let herself relax, hesitantly accepting that, despite their night together last night – which she was almost positive had happened, but couldn't be entirely sure – it hadn't appeared to scare Sherri away or cause any kind of irreparable damage to their relationship. No awkwardness, no tension. Just the same love, openness, and ease that had always existed between the two of them. _Could it really have been that easy?_

Just as they were finishing up breakfast, Maia had received a text indicating that Miss Thang had arrived at the hotel. They finished up quickly and went to greet their other daughter and costar, all very giddy and excited to fill Cierra in on the interview and their trip so far. After a bit of catching up, Maia and Cierra went off to Maia's room to plan their next 24 hours in the city, Cierra over-the-moon ecstatic about being able to finally see Broadway, and the older women went to their respective rooms to pack up.

About an hour and two long "be safe, don't go off with strangers, always have your phones on and accessible" mama-style lectures, Teri and Sherri were off to the airport, leaving behind two very enamored girls.

The cab ride to the airport had been mostly silent, but in a comfortable way. The little bit of talking they two had done mostly involved reassuring each other that it was okay to leave the younger girls in the city alone for a night, and then of course laughing about the fact that they were sure they were more worried than the girls' biological mothers had been. "You are a very protective mama bear," Teri joked as they finally took a seat outside their gate.

"I'll never deny that." Sherri laughed and started looking through her phone. After a few minutes, Sherri noticed that Teri had lounged back so far in her seat that she was practically horizontal. Her eyes were closed, but her shaking leg indicated that she wasn't actually asleep.

"Tired?" Sherri asked.

Teri groaned in response – an automatic reaction to that question.

"Maybe I shouldn't have stayed last night. I'm sorry if you didn't get much sleep."

 _So she did stay the night! I wasn't dreaming that! And she's actually admitting to it! But wait, does she really regret it?_ Teri's mind was suddenly very alert, tuning in to pick up on an subtleties that might be lurking beneath Sherri's words.

Sherri wasn't looking at the blonde beside her, although her tone of voice indicated that she was not angry but maybe a little sad at the idea that her staying over in Teri's room had perhaps caused the other woman to not sleep well.

Teri immediately sat up and angled her body toward the woman beside her, reaching her hand to cover the hand that held Sherri's phone, causing the brunette to look up at her.

"I actually slept better than I had in months, so please don't apologize." The seriousness of her tone surprised her as the words slipped from her mouth. Sherri didn't flinch, her eyes holding their gaze as she tried to process the weight of what the other woman had just said. There was a sudden tension between the two caused by the acknowledgement of the night they had shared, and the potential for what it had meant to each of them.

Overwhelmed by the palpable emotion that was starting to envelop them, Teri pulled her hand back and shook her head. "It's just me and stupid flights. You know how much I adore them." She smiled, forcing a light laugh to accompany that lie. Sherri smiled, nodded in agreement, and returned to looking at her phone.

The flight home was relatively uneventful. The women were mostly quiet, Teri watching a movie on the screen in front of her and Sherri reading a book for the majority of the flight. Upon landing, disembarking, and heading to baggage claim to collect their luggage, Teri was starting to offhandedly discuss the scenes they were shooting on Monday. It seemed like Sherri wasn't really paying attention, so when the two reached the conveyor belt to await their bags, Teri snapped her fingers in front of Sherri's distracted gaze. "Earth to my wife. You okay over there?"

Sherri snapped out of it and blurted out, "Kamar and I are taking a break."

"Oh," was all Teri could say, sufficiently caught off guard by that confession. She took a minute to assess the other woman's stance, trying to best gage what should be her appropriate reaction. When she could see no sadness or anger from the other woman, merely complacency, she carefully asked, "Do you want to talk about it?"

"Not really, I just thought you should know. There's been a lot going on at home, as you know, and there's been a lot of stress since the twins were born, so we just thought it would be best to take a break for a month or so. It's an amicable break though." Sherri was sort of rambling. Teri nodded in understanding. "We're both happy about the decision and I think it's healthy. We still love each other, but we need some space. I just wanted you to know so that if I was being too clingy or whatever, you could let me know and tell me to back off." She smiled sweetly and looked away, watching as the first few bags were being unloaded onto the belt.

"You? Clingy? Never." Teri scoffed, but quickly giggled and nudged the other woman gently in the side. _She loves him. She just said that they are separating, but she loves him. Well, not separating, taking a break. What does that even mean? Do people really do that and then get back together? Even if they are separating, that doesn't mean anything for me. Do I even want it to mean anything? Ugh! Be a friend, Teri, be a friend. She just needs a friend._

"But for real, I'm here if you need anything. If you ever want to talk or hang out or help me sleep, you know, whatever, I'm here for ya babe." Teri winked, using sarcasm to hide the truth in her words, and pulled Sherri into a quick hug.

"Thank you, love. I appreciate it." Sherri pulled away when she saw her bag heading toward them. Before she could grab it, Teri leaned in and pulled the bag off the belt and placed it beside them, quickly reaching for her own as it had followed Sherri's on the belt. Sherri laughed and leaned in to place a kiss on the blondes cheek. "Always my savior," she beamed.

"Aw shucks. I do what I can for my love." Teri joked, turning to head for the door.

The two parted ways, Sherri being greeted by her mother-in-law with two baby boys in tow and Teri heading for a cab following a quick hello and kisses for the boys. As Teri settled in the back seat of the cab, she let her guard down long enough for her mind to process everything that happened in the last 48 hours.

 _The connection is unlike anything I've ever experienced before – that has to mean to something. There has to be a reason why she feels like an extension of me, but it's more than that. She makes me a better person, makes me want to be a better person. She's everything I could ever want and more in a companion. We just work. This must be what people talk about when they say that sometimes people just "click." But maybe that's all it is, a connection. A weird, unwelcome connection that binds the two of us together…_

The words Sherri had said, about taking a break from her relationship with Kamar, echoed in her mind.

 _If she is splitting with Kamar, maybe this is our chance? Maybe we do try out this whole thing and see where it goes? Maybe it would be great. Maybe that's what she wants. Maybe that's what I want… But her kids. And my kids. And our job. And the reality that, regardless of the potential greatness of this relationship, there was so much at stake – and way too much to risk losing. There's so many reasons why this wouldn't work out._

Teri shook her head and pushed the thoughts from her mind. Too much to lose. As her heart ached at the realization, the corners of her mouth tipped upward into a slight smile. If this connection with Sherri, and this platonic professional beautiful relationship was all they would ever have, she was at least content with that. She has an amazing friend, fierce companion, and stunning counter-part to tackle the world with as her companion. She couldn't really ask for much more. And that, somehow, has to be enough.


	8. Author Note

Ah! Sorry for the lack of updates - I know I promised weekly, and I will get back to that! This story is not lost, I can assure you that. Thank you for the reviews and reminders to post. I really appreciate the attention this story has received. September was off to a rough start for me, but I will get back to this as soon as possible! Stay with me. coco


	9. Chapter 8

The first few days back at work were a blur. Between the filming and the running lines, the set changes and the creative edits, the cast and crew barely had a chance to sit still. Cierra and Maia spent the majority of Monday ranting and raving about their time in New York City, while the guys teased the girls for their horrible Yorker accents. Sherri had brought the boys to work Tuesday and Wednesday, so she had very little downtime between diaper changes, spilled sippy cups, and shooting scenes. As much as Teri had enjoyed her little trip away, she was thrilled to be back in the midst of the chaos that fills her heart and grounds her soul.

Neither Teri nor Sherri bothered to bring up what happened between them on the trip. Teri paid close attention to her costars demeanor for the first few days back, trying to figure out how best to support her during her 'break' with Kamar, should she need it. But Sherri seemed at ease with the decision. Though she didn't talk about Kamar or their relationship status, she made offhanded reference to how calm her house had been over the next few days and how much she was starting to feel like herself again. Peter had even commented on how accurately Sherri was remembering her lines – something they all struggled to do on a daily basis.

Two weeks had passed and the energy level was high on set. The drama was reaching a critical point for all of the cast, so there was a heavy focus on debriefing and support for everyone involved. Despite the trauma that each character was playing, the love and compassion seemed to be settling in to compensate for the pretend anxiety and disorder. And, unless Teri was fooling herself, she was sure that Sherri had been especially close and flirty with her since they returned from New York.

"Teri, on set in five!" Peter hollered from his chair over near the living room set. Teri had been obsessively staring in the mirror in her trailer for the last 15 minutes, reciting over and over a particularly challenging bout of dialogue that she would need in the scene they were filming. She glanced down at the script one more time, committing the last few words to memory, just as there was a quick knock at the door.

"Hi love, you almost ready?" Teri looked up into the mirror, pleasantly surprised to see those beautiful brown curls peak into her trailer. The smile was instant.

Sherri stepped up into the trailer and walked over to stand behind Teri, wrapping her arms around the woman's waist in front of her, smiling brightly at the reflection staring back at them.

"Just getting those last few lines down, love. I'm ready when you are." Teri rubbed the woman's hand that rested on her belly, running her fingertips up her arm until she was able to gently tug Sherri's arms tighter around her.

As she closed her eyes, Sherri squeezed the blonde slightly tighter and rested her chin on Teri's shoulder. "I hate the scenes where we fight," Sherri whispered, her smile quickly fading. It had been said many times before; neither one of them liked when they had to film scenes that distanced them or hurt either character. This, however, felt more like a confession, heavy and serious.

Teri took a deep breath, slowly exhaling before turning in the other woman's arms, just enough to face her. She waited silently before chocolate eyes finally opened to stare into her own. Teri smiled, gentle and reassuring. "Me too," she said, bringing her fingertips up to brush back brown curls behind her ear, resting her hand behind Sherri's neck, enough to tilt her head so she could reach up to place a soft kiss on her forehead. Sherri smiled.

As soon as Sherri locked eyes with the woman before her, Teri winked and wrapped her arms around Sherri's waste, landing on her ass, giving a slight squeeze. "Now let's get out there and show them what this acting thing's all about!" Teri quipped, softly laughing at the tiny squeal she got out the brunette. They both chuckled as Sherri grasped Teri's hand and lead them out of the trailer, toward the living room set.

 _I've got to remember to get a lock on my trailer! This woman cannot keep coming in here before scenes, making me fall in love with her, and scrambling my brain before I have to say lines and act like a real person!_ Teri's brain was rambling as the two walked hand in hand on to the set.

"You know you two are supposed to be fighting in this scene, right?" David snarled from the couch, eyebrow cocked toward the clasped hands.

"Maybe if Brandon wasn't such a dufus, I wouldn't have to fight with this sexy mama!" Teri quipped back, grinning and knocking David's foot off the coffee table upon which it had been resting.

"Don't blame me, blame the writers!" David feigned innocence, smirking over at Peter, who was busy ranting about lighting to the nearest crew member.

Sherri laughed at the two bantering on the couch as she moved over to her point of entrance, waiting for Peter to call action. _If she wasn't so beautiful and funny, playing angry with her would be a hell of a lot easier!_ Sherri shook her head and took a deep breath, trying to prepare herself for what would be a very long, emotionally draining scene ahead of them.

Two and a half hours and three breaks to touch up make up after the tears had streaked most of it away, the crew was finally ready to call it quits for the evening. Peter wailed about how beautiful the chemistry is between the cast, even when anger and frustration are the guiding factors in the scene, as Teri wiped away the remnants of her tears and argued that she did truly hate him and the rest of the writers. The two were so caught up in their playful arguments about who hated who more that neither of them noticed Sherri and the rest of the cast sneak off toward the line of trailers.

"As much as it pains me to say this, thank you for your sinful brilliance, my friend." Teri chuckled, lightly punching Peter on the shoulder as she started to walk away. "Now I must go check on my wife and assure her that I hate you more than her, despite the horrible things you made me say." She winked and turned toward the trailers, raising her hand in a sarcastic salute farewell.

Peter laughed, calling after her, "I promise I love you and you'll both love me when you see the tape!"

Teri continued to smile as she walked, considering herself very grateful to be working in a place with such raw love and passion every single day. As she was getting closer to the trailers, she heard a deep voice coming from the direction of Sherri's trailer. She was sure the two of them were the only cast members left on set, and the majority of the crew was still over near the cameras. Who could be in her trailer?

As she rounded the corner, Teri stopped short of her goal. She saw Kamar and Sherri standing near the entrance of Sherri's trailer, smiling and laughing as they talked. Sherri was holding a bouquet of flowers in her left hand, holding open the door with her right. Teri felt a sharp pain in the pit of her stomach, which both surprised and frustrated her. _Of course they would get back together after only a few days! Why would I think any different? And she looks happy, relieved even. I should be happy for her! Why does my heart feel like it has just bottomed out at the sight of_ her _and her husband? Get a grip, Teri!_

Teri blinked hard, took one last look at the two beautiful, snickering people in the distance, and headed back toward her own trailer. Once inside, she sat on the couch and leaned forward, running her fingers through her hair and ending with her face in her hands. _UUUGGGHHH!_ She let out a long sigh, pushing pressure into her closed eyes, trying desperately to stop the tears that she could feel brimming at the edges.

 _I'm just emotional from the scene. It's tough to play angry and hurt for two hours. Plus there were a lot of lines, so my brain is just tired from having to work overtime._ Teri tried to rationalize with herself, trying to pull herself together. _It's great that Sherri and Kamar figured whatever it was out. They both look happy, and damn those adorable ankle biters the two of them made together._ Teri rose to her feet and started pacing back and forth, shaking out her arms and hands, trying to calm her running mind. _There was never anything between us, I have no right to feel… to feel… to feel whatever the hell this is! Jealousy? Disappointment? Confusion? Whatever it is, it'll pass. We've got a connection, I'm grateful to be around her, this extra whatever it is can definitely be blamed on the emotional roller coaster of the show from the last few weeks._

Sherri could hear the pacing from outside the trailer. She had wanted to check in with her costar after their big scene, but had gotten side tracked by Kamar showing up on set with flowers because he had remembered her mentioning the tough scene they would be filming today when they spoke on the phone last night. He had been sweet enough to bring an extra yellow daisy for Teri, so Sherri was on her way to deliver the gift and say good night.

They were both well beyond the point of knocking, considering the trailers to really be spaces belonging to both of them, so Sherri popped open the door and walked right on in to see a slightly frantic-looking Teri pacing over by the couch.

"Babe, are you okay?" Sherri's voice wavered with concern.

Teri turned on her heels, surprised to see the brunette in her trailer, and quickly plastered on her best fake-smile. "Hi love! Yes, I'm good. Tired, just about to head home. What are you doing here? I thought you left." She turned back around to start gathering her things into her purse.

"Kamar dropped in as a surprise and brought us flowers, so I wanted to give you your yellow daisy and say good night," Sherri hesitantly took a few steps toward Teri, reaching out with the flower in hand.

 _Damnit. Of course he has to be sweet enough to bring her friend a flower!_ Teri inadvertently rolled her eyes before turning to accept the flower, fake-smile perfectly in place. "That was very thoughtful of him. Thank you."

Sherri wasn't buying the fake smile. "Are you sure you're okay? That scene was really tough for me too…" her voice trailed off.

"Oh, yeah I'm good. Just a lot to remember, so my brain is foggy. Best be getting home to the doodlebugs! And you had best be getting back to Kamar. Glad you two worked things out." Teri picked up her purse and grabbed the keys, holding onto the flower with her other hand, quickly trying to sidestep around Sherri to get to the door.

"Not without a hug first," Sherri said as she grabbed hold of Teri's elbow and pulled her back into a tight embrace. Without needing to confirm it, Sherri knew that the sudden cold and fake behaviour Teri was showing was a result of a misunderstanding about her relationship status with Kamar.

Teri hesitated at first, but gave into the hug when brown curls brushed softly against her cheek and her heart melted into the woman before her. She involuntarily sighed as a soft scent of vanilla piqued her senses.

Sherri squeezed tighter, holding onto the blonde for longer than a normal "see you later" hug should last. Feeling the tension sort of ease up between the two of them, Sherri took advantage of the brief moment of vulnerability and tilted her head slightly, just enough to nuzzle her nose into the blonde's hair. As the lightly bumped her nose along the edge of the taller woman's ear, she hummed softly and brought her hand up to run smoothly through blonde locks. She felt Teri's breath hitch.

"Come over this weekend. Just the two of us. Please." Sherri's voice was barely above a whisper, and her breath tickled at the side of Teri's neck. Goosebumps rose all over her skin.

Without thinking through her answer, Teri, maybe a little too quickly, said okay, being rewarded with a smile and a breathy "good" escaping from Sherri's lips.

Just then, Sherri pulled back and placed a quick chaste peck to the blonde's cheek, backing up just enough to give a quick smile before exiting the trailer. Teri stood still in the kitchen of her trailer, watching the door bounce back on it's hinges, gaping at the situation. _What the hell just happened?_


	10. Chapter 9

Teri's POV

T: _Stopping at the store. Red or white?_

S: _Got it covered! Just bring you! ;)_

T: _Can I bring food? Snacks?_

S: _Just you! Hurry up and get over here!_

I placed the bottle of Pinot I had just picked up back on the shelf as I slid my cellphone into the back pocket of my jeans. I sighed for about the hundredth time in the last hour. Yes, I'm excited. Yes, I want to go over. Yes, I am a puddle of nerves!

 _This is ridiculous. It's only about the millionth time you've gone to her house. You're going to relax, play with the boys, eat food, gossip about work, drink wine, and come home. This is another normal Saturday night. Get your shit together!_ I couldn't seem to stop my mind from racing. Despite my rather excellent conviction, I just couldn't begin to shake the nerves. The unknown of what this evening _really_ meant (if anything) was enough to drive me to the edge of my sanity.

I walked, empty handed, out of the liquor store and toward my car. Glancing to the left, I notice a little booth selling flowers just down the street. _Flowers are tacky, not to mention a little_ too _obvious._ _Maybe they have something else…_

I strolled over and smiled at the elderly man behind the booth, who appeared to be looking rather seriously at the purple flower in his hand.

"Some flowers are just too beautiful to see go to waste, you know?" The man's gravely voice slipped through his smile.

"Why is it going to waste?" I inquired gently.

"It was part of a bouquet that the last gentleman picked up, but he said he didn't like the colour. I think it's rather beautiful…" his voice trailed off as if contemplating what to do with the discarded flower he was holding.

"May I buy it?"

"Oh dear. It doesn't have packaging or anything! Surely you'd want one of the others?" He grinned and pointed at the row of mixed colour daisies lining the top shelf of his booth. I reached into my pocked and pulled out a twenty, offering it to the seller. "I'm positive I want this one. It's perfect." I beamed.

The man shrugged his shoulders and handed over the purple flower – a lily, I believe – and started to make change. I waved him off and said thank you, turning back toward my car.

"He must be awfully special!" He called out. I furrowed my brow, not entirely sure what he meant by that. As I turned back around to question him, I simply saw the serene smile on his face. I let out a soft laugh. "She sure is." I said, just loud enough for him to hear. We both nodded and off I went, hoping in the car with excited butterflies fluttering about the inside of my belly.

As I parked the car in Sherri's driveway, I reached over to grab the flower and quickly checked my make up in the rearview mirror. _You look fine, just get in there._ My pep talk was lacking the pep, but I headed out of the car anyway, just in time to see Sherri opening her front door, shielding her eyes from the late afternoon sun and wine glass in hand.

"There you are, slow poke!" She called out.

"I was busy not buying the wine and snacks you asked for." I couldn't help but giggle – who even giggles after the age of 14? The mere sight of this woman did something to me that I can't possibly explain.

"What's that you've got there?" She questioned, nodding toward the flower in my hand, as I got closer to the front door.

"Can't show up to a pretty girl's house empty handed now can I?"

"You sure know how to make a girl swoon," Sherri blushed and accepted the flower I handed her, leaning in to kiss my cheek. "Now, come in, I was just about to set up the BBQ and start supper." She turned on her heel and headed inside.

I closed the door behind me, taking in the familiar sight of Sherri's living room. I always loved the comfort and coziness of her place, the way the house always feels like home. Sherri was mumbling something about BBQ Sauce as she walked away toward the kitchen at the back of the house. I removed my coat and shoes, and followed the sound of her voice… Then it occurred to me. The house was so quiet that I could hear the sound of her voice float through the house.

"Where are the boys?" I asked, leaning forward on the kitchen island, watching her find a tall coffee mug with some water for the flower.

"At Mama de los Reyes for the weekend. Kamar is helping his dad with something, so I asked him to take the boys with him so we could have the house to ourselves without the oh-so-adorable crying toddlers."

"You know they never cry with me, and you want to know why?" I smirked.

"Why is that?" Sherri wiggled her eyebrows, grinning, leaning back along the edge of the counter, watching me at the island. She had put the flower over by the stove and had picked up a bottle of BBQ sauce.

I walked around the island to stand in front of her, wide grin on my face. "Because I'm their favourite," I declared. Sherri scoffed as I grabbed the bottle from her hand and strode toward the patio door, amused.

The evening seemed to pass as if time was on fast forward. We prepared and cooked dinner, seamlessly moving in and out of each other's space, working in perfect unison. We chatted tirelessly about work, the kids, new movies, books Sherri was reading, anything at all. Mostly, we laughed. Making her laugh seems to come naturally to me. But even if it were the hardest thing in the world to do, I'd spend every ounce of energy I had on doing whatever I can to make that woman laugh. It was so effortless being with this woman. How could it possibly be so easy to just simply exist with someone?

It was just past eight when we finally settled on her sofa, each a glass of wine in our hand, Sherri scrolling through the TV guide. "Hmm… I don't know what to watch…" Sherri murmured to herself.

 _This is the part where my brain starts to go into overdrive. She is sitting so close to me that I can feel the heat radiating off her thigh. There's another blanket hanging on the back of the chair across the room, and yet she chose to sit close enough to share one. Why?_ Sherri shifts her position, pulling her feet up underneath her, and leans closer toward me. _What is she doing? Why is she sitting so close? Chill out Teri, she has no idea that you are feeling this way. You shouldn't be feeling this way. She's your friend. A great friend. That you spent all afternoon with. You can't jeopardize this friendship because of your inability to keep your libido in check. Get it together!_

I picked up my cellphone and began mindlessly scrolling through twitter, anything to keep my hands busy and prevent staring at the woman sitting within three inches from me. One particular post caught my attention. "Awe, look at our babies!" I cooed, turning the phone so Sherri could see a picture of Cierra and Maia hanging out at the beach that had been posted on twitter.

"Those two really are something." Sherri smiled warmly. She reached for the phone in my hand, dropping the remote to her lap. She leaned back against my chest as she opened up the camera app on my phone.

"Hey, what are you doing?" I held a hand in front of my face and laughed, adding an overly whiny "No pictures!"

"Come on! Just one for the fans. You know how much they love us!" With those big brown beautiful eyes pleading with me, how am I supposed to say no?

"Ugh fine. Just one!" I placed a kiss on her cheek, as she closed her eyes and snapped the photo. I let her post the photo and keep scrolling through my twitter feed, mentally noting how comfortable it was to have her cuddled against me but also wondering why she hasn't moved. Definitely not complaining.

"You know what's weird?" She asked.

"What's that?"

"How kids use the phrase 'I just died' as an expression. Am I old for thinking that?" She looked up at me as she chuckled.

"No. It's absolutely weird. I don't get it. Maybe that makes me old." I couldn't help but laugh at how concerned she appeared over this choice of wording.

"Awe, we are hash tag relationship goals!" She gushed, showing me some of the comments that were already coming in on our photo.

"We do make a pretty hot couple. Well, mostly you, but I suppose I don't entirely ruin the shot," I said sarcastically.

Sherri tilted her head up just enough to look directly at me. "You couldn't look anything less than absolutely beautiful, even if you tried."

"Ha! You are awfully sweet, and potentially a little blind."

She shifted her position again, this time turning around to face me, but still not putting any distance between us. "Hey now! I may be old, but my eye sight is perfectly fine, thank you very much!" She had a playful smirk on her face.

I lifted my hand to push a wayward brown curl behind her ear. "Well love, you are the prettiest old girl I've ever seen, and my eye sight is also perfectly fine," I joked.

Sherri's smile seemed to radiate from her entire body, beaming from her eyes deep into my own. _What is this girl doing to me? I can barely breathe with her this close. I could get lost in those eyes forever._

Just then, Sherri put her weight on her left arm and lifted her face to directly in line with mine. Her eyes had darkened a shade and her playful grin remained firmly in place. My heart began to race. Every piece of my skin that was in contact with hers was on fire. I couldn't tare my eyes away from hers, every cell in my being was waiting in anticipation of what she might do next. I held my breath.

Sherri leaned in and placed a soft kiss on the tip of my nose. My eyes closed, cheeks flushed. Sherri pulled back and winked, turning back around and returning to her position cuddled up against my side. _What the hell was that?!_

"Someone called us adorkable! That's hilarious!" Sherri was back to scrolling through the comments with one hand, absentmindedly drawing circles on my thigh with her other. _This woman is going to drive me crazy._

Another few minutes passed, as we sipped wine and giggled about the comments on our picture and other posts in the twittersphere. At one point, I had to reach around her to grab the phone just to prevent her from posting an excessive amount of emoticons on one of Cierra's posts. "Stop embarrassing them!" I teased. We eventually put the phone down and just laid together, snuggled on the couch, watching whatever had come on TV. It wasn't long before I could feel Sherri's breath even out and slow down. We were both falling asleep.

Truthfully, I would have given anything to stay right where I was with no one other than this woman wrapped in my arms. _I can't believe how lucky I am to even have these few minutes of peace with her. It's like breathing deeply and feeling fresh air after being suffocated for so long. It's like pressing pause on a world that is normally so chaotic and upside down. It's like everything they tell you love can and should be. What am I going to do with this? With her?_

I sighed and gently started to shift her weight off of me, guiding her toward the inside of the couch. She began to stir as I stood up, reaching out to grab my hand. I knelt down beside the couch, pulling the blanket up around her waist, gently running my fingers through her hair. "Go back to sleep love, I'm going to head home." My voice was barely above a whisper.

She had a sleepy smile on her face, but her eyes were closed and she hadn't yet let go of my hand. "Thank you for coming."

"Of course. Thank you for having me! It was the best afternoon, love. I'll see you at work on Monday."

I started to pull away when she opened her eyes, reached out, and wrapped her hand around the base of my neck, pulling my face toward hers. Without leaving time to respond, Sherri intently guided our lips together, pressing firmly into a deep kiss. With one simple move, she completely stole my breath and any sense of reality. I instinctively curled my fingers deeper into her hair, trying to get impossibly closer. As I tugged ever so gently on the back of her head, I was rewarded with a low moan. The electric kiss sent shocks up my spine. Just as I was about to skim my tongue along her bottom lip, she pulled back and separated the kiss. When I involuntarily followed her lips, I felt her close the gap again for a quick, strong kiss, before letting go of my hand and laying back down on the couch. I sat back on my heels, releasing her hair and slowly opened my eyes.

 _WHAT WAS THAT?!_

I searched her eyes for regret or distress, but only found warmth and satisfaction. I'm pretty sure I was shaking, but the calmness in her voice helped to sooth my nerves.

"I'll definitely see you Monday. And yes, it was the best afternoon. Thank you for being you, my love."

I couldn't make words form into proper sentence structures, so I smiled and tried to convey as much love and appreciation as I could through my eyes. I nodded and stood up, pulling the blanket up over her shoulders. She called out Good night and I replied with a shaky "Night love" as I exited the house. I took a deep breath to steady myself, leaning back on the closed door. _What. The. Hell. Is. Going. On!?_


	11. Chapter 10

AN: So, it looks like I still have a strong vision for this story. I have not given up my intense love for the two women that give life to one of the most heartbreaking, real, raw, beautiful stories on television. I'm in love and anxiously awaiting for the summer premiere. So, here we go, another chapter. Thoughts? Much love! :-)

Back at work for an 8AM call time and the set is already buzzing with movement and chaos. Lights being hung in dark corners; cameras rolling around to be placed in just the right spot. Cierra, David, and Hayden were chatting about their upcoming weekend while waiting for their call time on set. Teri and Maia we're getting ready for the day by pouring coffee and flipping through scripts over in the corner of the kitchen set.

The last two weeks had passed as if nothing had happened. There were play dates, and school projects, and rehearsals, and trips to the gym. Not a whole lot had changed, but there was a slight shift in the way Sherri and Teri interacted. It wasn't noticeable per say, given that the two had always been close, touchy and physically close. But the frequency at which the two found themselves alone had increased. They appeared to be seeking more time to practice lines together, rant about the kids, discussing anything and everything.

It was the end of a busy filming week and they had finally made it to Friday. A Friday morning before a long weekend. Sherri arrived on the lot with one of the boys in tow. Cierra immediately skipped over to them, beaming ear-to-ear and giggling as she bent down to eye level with Michael. "Hi baby boy," she cooed and reached her hands out to accept the little guy as he ran straight into her arms. She picked up the giggling toddler and twirled around.

"Fair warning, he may puke on you." Sherri laughed as she watched the two of them spin around.

"Awe you wouldn't puke on me, little one, would ya?" Cierra stopped spinning and poked Michael on the nose, continuing to giggle. "What's up with him?" She asked.

Sherri placed the diaper bag she was carrying on the ground, along with her purse and travel mug, just in time to see Maia and Teri make their way over to join them.

"Hi little guy," Maia leaned in and placed a kiss on Michael's cheek before turning around to hug Sherri. Cierra swung the toddler around and placed him on her hip. Teri ruffled his curly hair and smiled over at Sherri.

When she released Maia, Sherri took a couple steps closer to Teri and quickly kissed her cheek. "Hi," Sherri whispered and grinned at the blonde. Teri smiled back, slowly inhaling the scent of the other woman.

"Michael here has a bit of a fever this morning, so he gets to hang out with Mama on set today instead of hanging out at day care with his brother." Sherri explained, taking the boy from Cierra and wiping away the bubbles of spit that had gathered at the corner of his mouth from laughing. He started to fuss a bit and push away from Sherri, so she put him the ground just to watch him run toward the living room set. "And someone wants to be independent too I guess."

Everyone laughed as they watched Michael run over to David and Hayden, giving each of them an overly animated high five. "Sure seems sick to me," Teri quipped. Sherri bumped her hip into Teri's and smirked.

Peter walked on set, high fived Michael and tousled his hair, then stepped over to his chair by the main camera. "Everyone ready?" He bellowed.

The cast gathered on set. "Let's run lines once through before we start on the filming, deal?" Peter flipped open the first page of the script and everyone took their places. Teri bent down to scoop up the toddler and took a seat on the couch, handing the script to Michael to fiddle with. "Keep this safe for me, okay bud?" He nodded and settled into her, snuggling up to her chest. Sherri had been standing near the 'front door' but seeing Teri cuddled up with Michael pulled at her heart. A faint smile settled on her lips. She headed for the couch, sneaking into a spot right beside Teri.

While the rest of the cast started to recite their lines, Sherri found herself unable to take her eyes off Teri. How she rocked slightly back and forth, humming softly in Michaels ear, barely audible to the rest of those in the room. Sherri shifted in her seat, moving closer to the woman beside her. Teri glanced over at Sherri, seeing the warm smile radiate off the brunette. Her heart skipped a beat. Sherri cuddled into Teri's side and pulled up her script, searching to find the beginning of her lines, breathing deeply and settling into the comfortable position.

For the next few hours the cast ran their lines, Peter made corrections and suggestions as the crew worked around them, and Michael napped peacefully in Teri's arms. "Let's take a 20 minute break, then we'll start filming," Peter instructed.

Michael started to stir. Maia walked over to the couch and held out her arms to take him. "Come with me little one, we'll get some snacks." Sherri laughed and snuggled closer to Teri as the blonde handed over the toddler.

Once he was handed off, she leaned back into the couch and absentmindedly pulled Sherri's arm over to curl around her waist, snuggling closer into her. Sherri quickly obliged, tugging gently on the blonde's hip, just enough to pull her closer into her chest. Teri's eyes closed, not consciously recognizing how comfortable and soothing it was to be curled up next to the other woman. Secure. Safe. Calm.

The rest of the cast had left the living room set and were gathered over by the food tables near the left side of the lot. Sherri noticed that Teri's breathing had slowed. Perhaps she was about to fall asleep. She took a quick look around and realized that no one was paying attention to the two of them, thankfully leaving them alone for a quick nap.

Taking advantage of the lack of surveillance and a quick break from toddler-minding, Sherri lowered her head down to rest on Teri's shoulder and closed her eyes. Gently, she slowly moved the hand that had been resting on Teri's hip and began loosening the material of the top Teri was wearing, starting to untuck it from her jeans. Feeling this small movement, Teri opened her eyes and shifted slightly to see that Sherri's eyes were still closed, resting her head on her shoulder. If she couldn't feel the material moving, she would be sure she was dreaming.

Once the material was loosened, Sherri slipped her hand beneath the shirt to find bare skin. She began to rub slow circles with her fingertips, barely grazing the soft skin. Teri tightened the grip she had on Sherri's arm, still watching to see if Sherri would open her eyes. As if she could feel the blonde's eyes watching her, Sherri smiled and gripped the small piece of skin she had access to. She felt the blonde shift and could tell her breathing had picked up. Her movements were subtle, but she could still see the effect she was having on the blonde.

Teri closed her eyes, trying desperately to focus on anything other than the fact that Sherri was massaging circles into her bare side, inching up closer and closer to her ribcage. _What is this woman doing to me? Clearly she knows what she's doing. But isn't she afraid people will see? What about Kamar? What does any of this mean?_ Teri's mind was racing quicker than her heart. She could stop Sherri. She could get up and walk away. She could ask her what she was trying to do, what any of this meant? Or she could just try to relax.

A few moments passed, Teri focusing on her breathing as Sherri continued her ministrations at her side. Taking one deep, steadying breath, Teri opened her eyes and looked around the room. Everyone appeared to be doing exactly what they were doing before, unaware and unfazed by the tangible act of intimacy that was happening between the two of them. It was a comforting feeling. She'd be lying if she said she wasn't surprised. Teri glanced down at the stunning, albeit coy and slightly cunning, face of the brunette beside her. With a sudden burst of confidence, Teri reached up, softly grazed the back of her knuckles down the other woman's face, and placed a firm kiss to her forehead. Sherri's smile grew as she hummed contently into her chest, drawing the hand that had been resting on the blonde's side upwards to pull firmly at her ribcage, drawing the two bodies impossibly closer. Teri shivered, revelling in the feeling that this woman was causing in the pit of her stomach. Teri allowed her eyes to close again.

"Mom! Mama! It's almost the long weekend!" Cierra's voice conveyed her excitement as she walked back over to the living room set and settled into the lazyboy chair in the corner opposite the couch. She was looking down at her phone while eating a chocolate chip muffin.

"And what are you going to do this weekend?" Sherri asked, without opening her eyes or making any effort to remove her hand or put some space between her and Teri.

"Jeff and I have plans to visit with my sister, I think…" she replied.

Maia came over with Michael resting on her hip and carrying a sippy cup of orange juice in the other hand. "I think a certain boy wants in on this Mama nap," she warned, smiling and leaning down to let Michael settle on the ground.

The two women opened their eyes and Sherri finally pulled back, allowing space for Michael to crawl between them. Everyone came back on set and Peter called for the film crew to get ready. The rest of the afternoon passed fairly quickly, mostly consisting of retakes of the kids' scenes and trying to keep Michael entertained and quiet.

After the end of her last scene, Teri headed over her trailer to change before heading home for the night. She didn't have the kids until tomorrow, so she was taking her time before leaving the set. Her mind was distracted by trying to decide what to make for dinner when she heard a gentle knock on the door, moments before Sherri stepped into the trailer.

"Hi love," she greeted, beaming smile.

"Hi gorgeous, I'm about to head home, but wanted to see what you were doing this weekend?" Sherri asked, as she leaned against the counter just inside the door.

"No plans, getting the doodlebugs tomorrow morning. So, finding some way to entertain them?"

"Great! Then you'll join us for a barbecue Sunday? Kamar invited some friends over and I thought it would be fun to have you join us. Bring the kids! It's been a while since I've seen them." She said as she walked further into the trailer, heading toward where Teri was sitting at the small kitchen table.

 _Oh great, a whole day with Kamar and Sherri, all happy again after reconciling whatever little fight that had been going on…_ Teri thought, maintaining control of her expressions so not to give away her inner dialogue. _Then again, maybe this is what we need. Get back to how things used to be, a bunch of friends hanging out. Friends. Yes, just friends._

"That sounds like fun. I'm sure the kids would love to come, if I can tear my annoying teenager away from any electronic device for five minutes of socialization," she replied, sarcasm enveloping her last remark.

Sherri had crossed the trailer to the small table. "Perfect! It's settled!" Her excitement was evident. Teri looked up at her and couldn't help by smile at the goofy grin staring back at her. Just then, Sherri leaned down and gave the blonde a quick, chaste kiss on the lips.

The brunette headed back toward the door, turning around just before exiting and calling out, "See you Sunday my love!" She caught the blonde's eye and winked.

By the time Teri's voice caught up to her brain, Sherri was out the door before she had a chance to ask what she could bring. Teri lifted her fingertips to brush along her tingling lips. _Did she really just do that?_ _Why does it feel like we've been doing this forever? Wow, I really need to get home and sleep. I think this woman is going to make me lose my damn mind…_


	12. Chapter 11

"You're here!" Sherri screeches and skips over to the gated entrance to the backyard when she saw Teri, Bayley's feet dangling as she giggled from where she was sitting on her mother's back.

"Hi my love," Teri beamed, leaning in to greet Sherri with a kiss on the cheek.

"Hi doodlebug, come see me!" Sherri helped the little girl with the outstretched arms slide off her mothers back and into her own arms. Bayley cuddled right into Sherri's arms. "Will you give me a piggy back ride?" Her little voice pleaded.

"Maybe latter sweetie. Why don't you go find the boys?" She let the girl down to the ground and watched her run straight over to the play set, where the twins and two other little kids were playing. Teri laughed and winked at the brunette, "thanks!"

"No problem Mama. Where's your little man?" Sherri asked, referring to the other woman's teenage son, Griffin.

Both women turned around to see Griffin coming up behind them, about to pass them, as he stared down at the cellphone in his hand.

"That's my lovely son right there. The one attached to that device in his hand. I'm afraid he may have lost all ability to communicate with the real world!" Teri cupped her mouth and dramatically shouted those last few words so he would hear her. He lifted his head for a moment to glance at his mother, rolled his eyes, barked "Hi Sherri, " and continued on over to the hammock in the far corner of the yard. He lied down on the hammock and began typing away on his phone.

Sherri laughed. Teri covered her face in embarrassment and groaned. "Teenagers," Sherri muttered, lacing her arm through Teri's and gently guiding her over to the table. On their way over, Sherri started to explain that almost everyone had arrived, but they were still waiting on one more guest. "Mike and Angela are in the kitchen, fixing up the rest of what needs to go on the barbeque. I think Jack and Emma are with Kamar; he wanted to show them the new addition to the garage. And Dave is over there, with the kids, being the big kid in the sandbox." Just as she said that, Dave looked up and shouted, "Hi Teri!" Teri laughed and waved in his direction.

"What's his partner's name again?" Teri asked.

"Mark. He's on his way I think, so he should be here soon. He was picking up their daughter, Ashley, from a play date," Sherri explained.

The two began to set the dinner places, laughing and catching up on their day. They moved effortlessly together, as if they had been doing this forever. Both women casually moved around each other. When one of the kids came up to see if supper was ready, as they had repeatedly been doing for about 15 minutes, the two women took turns coming up with absurd answers.

"Supper will be ready when you have finished building 43 sand castles!"

"Supper will be ready when each of you have run around the yard 104 times!"

"Supper will be ready when Teri has learned to grow roses instead of toes!" That one earned Sherri an "Ew gross!" from Bayley and a scowling "my feet are already beautiful, thank you very much," from Teri. And laughter. Always laughter.

Kamar and the rest of the adults had gathered in the kitchen. They were chatting about mundane things – parenting, renovations, work. Each seemingly trying to one-up the others with a story or accomplishment. Kamar was mostly distracted. He was busy watching Teri and Sherri in the backyard. It was evident that something was going on between them. The way they light up when they look at each other, the way they seem to move in and out of each other's space so naturally. It was evident in their movements, their voice, and their laughter. Teri seemed to be able to pull this deep laugh from the pit of Sherri's belly. Sherri seemed to be able to break through Teri's guarded exterior, soften her features and melt her body into her own embrace. It was mesmerizing.

Kamar was interrupted by the sound of a screeching toddler. Michael had slipped off the monkey bars and was lying on the sand. He rushed out of the kitchen and toward the yard, to find Michael already curled into Teri's arms as Sherri placed kisses on his scratched knee. He slowed his pace and smiled at the two women, caring for his boy as the other kids circled around, concerned for their friend. He knew immediately that Michael was in good hands. Kamar walked closer.

"What happened buddy?" Kamar asked, kneeling down beside Sherri.

"I scraped my knee when I fell," the toddler sniffled and rubbed his nose with his sleeve.

"Looks like a little bit of a scrape, but no big deal, right little man?" Teri poked the toddler in the belly, getting a little laugh to escape from his lips.

"Want to go get a superman band-aid sweetie?" Sherri opened her arms and the nodding toddler squirmed his way over to his mother's arms. She scooped him up, smiled sweetly at Teri, and carried the little guy into the house. The kids all ran away and went back to the play set.

"Okay fine, nobody help me up or anything!" Teri laughed, and started to push herself up. Before she could get all the way to her feet, Kamar moved behind her and lifted her up off the ground. Teri shrieked and started laughing. When he returned her to the ground, standing steady, he smirked, "don't say I never did anything for ya." She slapped his shoulder and they both laughed. "Okay, okay. Let's get this BBQ on the go!" She stalked off toward where the rest of the adults were gathering around the barbeque.

The adults worked together to prepare the meal, feed the children, and eventually all sat down at the large picnic table to eat. They chatted and laughed. Ate their delicious meal and drank wine. A few hours passed as they enjoyed the company and the giggling children in the background.

After the meal had ended, everyone began to clear their plates and head inside. Sherri led everyone to the kitchen. Kamar and Teri stayed back to clean up the barbeque and to keep an eye on the kids.

"I think Michael has a crush on you," Kamar smirked and nudged Teri's shoulder.

"He's a suave little guy, I'll give him that." Teri laughed.

"You have a way with the boys, they gravitate toward you. It's very sweet. And that Bayley of yours! She does a wonderful job caring for them. She'd make a great big sister!" Kamar was abstractedly rambling as he cleaned up.

"Hey now, don't go giving her any ideas! No more babies coming outta this baby!"

Kamar snickered and put his hands up, feigning innocence. "Right, no babies. She can just go all big sisterly with my boys – they clearly love her. And Griffin too, when he takes his eyes away from his cellphone anyway."

Teri groaned. "I swear he does know how to communicate in real, verbal, out loud words!"

The two continued to clean up, wiping down the table and scrapping the grill. Both took turns yelling at the kids to keep the noise down, as it was getting very close to bedtime. The rest of the adults had taken their kids home by now, but Teri wanted to make sure they didn't leave a huge mess for their hosts.

Teri finished placing the cover over the barbeque, then looked through the kitchen window and caught Sherri's eye. She smiled and blushed slightly.

Kamar saw the slight hitch in her breath and smiled. "She's a looker, isn't she?" He glanced over at Sherri, who had returned to washing dishes in the sink. Teri's face flushed a darker shade, knowing she had been caught staring. "She is," she replied simply and immediately turned to gather Bayley from the sandbox and shake Griffin awake in the hammock. Kamar just snickered to himself.

"Mama, can I pretty please sleep over? Pretty, pretty pleaseeeee?" Bayley whined and the boys pleaded with their eyes. Teri laughed and shook her head, starting to explain that they had to get home because she had swimming lessons in the morning. "But mama…"

Kamar came up behind her when he heard little Bayley's plea. "How about a quick bedtime story before you head home?" Both boys and Bayley cheered, loud enough to wake a napping Griffin nearby. Teri looked over at the groaning teenager. "Go back to sleep for a bit. I guess you've got a few more minutes before we head home." She laughed. "How long?" Griffin grumbled. Teri looked back down at Bayley, who had a hold of Kamar's hand, one of the twins tucked under her other arm. "Long enough for a bedtime story," she conceded. Bayley cheered once more and the boys took off running inside. Kamar squatted to the ground and Bayley hopped up on his back for a piggy-back ride. "It's story time!" He shouted and galloped off to the house.

Teri was chuckling to herself as she gathered the remaining dishes from the table and headed inside.

"I hear there's a story time happening?" Sherri questioned when Teri entered the kitchen.

"Apparently so."

Teri moved around the kitchen island and stood beside Sherri, placing the dishes she was holding into the sink. Sherri had finished the few leftover dishes and was drying her hands off with a towel, smiling as she looked over at the blonde beside her.

Something shifted in the air. The tension between the two women was palpable. Teri felt her face flush again. She avoided looking over at the brunette, but could feel her eyes on her.

"Stopppp," Teri whined, and swung her hips to the right, slightly knocking into Sherri's hip.

"Stop what?" Sherri giggled, trying to sound coy and innocent.

Teri finally looked over, seeing the smirk on Sherri's face and rolled her eyes. "Give me that," she said, playfully grabbing the towel from Sherri's hands and wiping off her own hands before placing it back on the counter.

"Thank you." Sherri said, meek and quiet but with a sincere smile tugging at her lips.

"For what?" the blonde questioned.

"For being here today. For staying to help clean up…." Sherri began to move toward the blonde, reaching out to wrap her arms around Teri's waste, keeping their eyes locked together.

"…For bringing your doodlebug over to entertain my twin terrors…" Teri laughed, Sherri moved closer.

"…For keeping Angela occupied in conversation so I wouldn't have to answer a million questions about why Callie and Brandon, or 'Bralley', can't be a real thing..." Teri's body responded to the closeness of the other woman, wrapping her arms around Sherri's neck.

"...For being so sweet, and funny, and caring, and thoughtful, and kind, and…" Her voice lowered to a whisper and trailed off. She brought their bodies together, flush, and tilted her head to rest on Teri's shoulder.

Teri's breath hitched. Her pulse quickened. The rest of the room seemed to disappear as she focused in on the scent of Sherri, everything about the woman taking over her senses.

Sherri nuzzled into Teri's neck, placing a soft kiss just below her earlobe. In response, Teri lowered her arms, running her fingertips along Sherri's spine, her hips involuntarily pushing forward into the woman in front of her.

Sherri hummed in the blonde's ear, spreading out her fingers, which had been clasped and resting on Teri's lower back, and pulled the blonde's hips tighter into her own. Teri moaned, just loud enough for Sherri to hear. Sherri parted her lips again, exhaling a soft breath of air, ghosting along Teri's collarbone. She shifted her head just slightly, grazing her bottom lip along the fair skin. When she felt Teri shiver, she responded by lowering her lips, leaving a hot, open-mouthed kiss to the base of Teri's neck. The blonde's fingers curled, nails digging into the brunette's lower back, eliciting a low growl from the pit of Sherri's stomach. It would be so easy for either of them to get completely and utterly consumed by the other.

The two were lost in their embrace, overwhelmed with how good, how natural, how right this felt. Held together. They stayed that way for a few more moments, each breathing in the other.

All of a sudden, a loud burst of laughter startled the two women. They heard Kamar shout, "Gotcha!" and the kids all laughed loudly to the end of the story. The women had pulled apart, with heads turned toward the living room. They both laughed and turned back toward each other.

Teri took a deep breath and smirked, shrugging her shoulders, as if to say life will always get in the way of whatever this is… Sherri nodded in understanding, smiling softly, eyes giving away her slight disappointment.

Teri started to turn away and head toward the living room, but Sherri caught her arm. She turned back slightly to see what was wrong. "Wait a sec…" Sherri cooed quietly and pulled Teri back toward her. She lifted her hand to cup Teri's face. Quickly, but gently, she brought their lips together. Tender, soft, consuming. Their kiss was deep, but fleeting.

Sherri pulled back and, when Teri's eyes finally opened, Sherri winked and flashed a bright smile her way before turning to walk toward the living room. Both women could feel their pulse racing and their breathing laboured. Teri took three deep breaths to settle herself before heading into the living room to gather the kids and head home for the night.

 ****Later that night** **

Sherri tucked the boys into bed while Kamar finished tidying the living room. They moved about the house, both in their own little worlds, content and relaxed from having spent the day with good company. Kamar had crawled into bed and was reading a book when Sherri finally strolled into the bedroom, clad in a light blue nightgown, humming along to the melody in her head. She stood by the bedside, absentmindedly rubbing some scented lotion into her hands.

As Sherri reached out to pull down the bed covers, Kamar looked up from his book. "Babe, can I ask you a question?" His voice was casual, low.

"Sure," she said, turning her back to him as she sat on the edge of the bed. She began to take her rings off her fingers and reached up to remove her earrings.

"Does she make you happy?"

Sherri paused. She stared down at the earrings in her hand, rolling around the small pearl with her fingertips. She took a deep breath. A moment or two passed before she leaned over the table and allowed the earrings to drop into a round dish sitting on the nightstand. She could feel Kamar watching her as she slid back into bed and delicately pulled the covers up around her waist. She looked over at Kamar. He waited for her answer, patient and calm.

"She does." A small smile crept upon her lips. She took another slow breath in as she searched his face for any indication of anger, or hurt, or confusion. There was nothing. She found only openness and kind eyes, maybe a hint of curiosity. It was clear who they were talking about, even if her name had not been spoken.

His calmness unnerved her, causing her to blush slightly, looking away and back down at her hands.

"That scares you, doesn't it?" His question was gentle, encouraging thought and reflection. He was cautious, as if he was aware of the weight of this question.

Sherri pulled her knees up to her chest, unsure of how to respond. She thought for a few moments before slightly nodding her head. "More than I really understand," she whispered. Her eyes were still locked on her hands, as her fingertips tapped nervously along her knees.

Kamar reached over and grabbed her hand, pulling it onto his lap. Sherri kept her eyes on their hands, watched closely as he tenderly laced their fingers together.

"¿Me amas?" (Do you love me?) Kamar's voice was soft, barely audible.

Her face lifted immediately, eyes searching deep and locking with his. No anger or sadness, again just curious. "Yes, of course I love you. Without a doubt," she declared and squeezed their clasped hands. "Te quiero con todo mi corazón." (I love you with all of my heart.)

"Bella, love is not meant to be limited. Love is meant to be felt, and shared, and nurtured, and embraced. Love should not be feared. Love should bring happiness and security. I think she does those things for you." He paused. Sherri took a deep breath to try to settle the butterflies in her stomach. He continued, "Teri makes you whole. She makes you smile brighter than the morning sun. Do not be afraid of that." He smiled.

Sherri could feel tears brimming her eyes as she listened to the words he was saying. The more he spoke, the more her heart felt as if it was going to beat out of her chest.

Kamar smiled and said, "eres el amor de mi vida, Bella," (you are the love of my life). He brought her hand up to his lips and kissed the back of her knuckles. "Me haces feliz (you make me happy). The boys and I are not going anywhere. We love you. We are a part of you, as you are a part of us. But you must open your heart, mi amor. She loves you, you can tell. Be with her. Be with us. Let your heart love. It was made for that."

His tender smile reassured her that he was being honest. He was genuinely encouraging her to follow her heart. "You seem to know my heart better than I do," she laughed softly and leaned in to kiss his cheek.

"Love is empowering, but it can also be blinding," he laughed and pulled her into a tight embrace.

Together they laid down, her head resting on his chest and his fingers running through her chocolate curls. "Thank you," she whispered.

"Gracias por compartir tu corazón conmigo (thank you for sharing your heart with me). I'm happy to see your heart grow. She's special, I can see that. Don't run away from it. I'll be here. Te amo (I love you)." He gently placed a kiss on the top of her head and pulled her closer.

With the air finally clear, with light and loving hearts, they both drifted off to sleep. Sherri had images of a certain blonde haired beauty dancing through her mind…


End file.
